10 Orange Bowl Committee Game Veterans Selected in First Round of NFL Draft

A total of 10 veterans of Orange Bowl Committee hosted games were selected during the first round of the NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall, including three of the top four picks and four of the top seven picks.  A total of 161 Orange Bowl veterans have now been selected in the NFL Draft’s first round over the past 28 years.

Additionally, the Orange Bowl’s partner, the Atlantic Coast Conference, continued its streak of being the only conference in the nation to have had a top 10 pick in each of the last five drafts (This year, Clemson’s C.J. Spiller was selected at #9 by Buffalo). Since the 2006 draft, the ACC has had 13 top 10 picks, matched only by the SEC.

Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford, the number one overall pick in the draft, played in the 2009 FedEx BCS National Championship as did his teammates Gerald McCoy (#3), Trent Williams (#4) and Jermaine Gresham (#21). Their opponent in that game, the Florida Gators, had three players taken in the first round: Joe Haden (#7), Maurkice Pouncey (#18) and Tim Tebow (#25).

From the 2010 FedEx Orange Bowl, Georgia Tech’s Derrick Morgan (#16) and Demaryius Thomas (#22) and Iowa’s Brian Bulaga (#23) were also selected in last night’s opening round.

2010 NFL Draft

First Round

#1 – Sam Bradford, QB, St. Louis (2009 Oklahoma, FedEx BCS National Championship)

#3 – Gerald McCoy, DT, Tampa Bay (2009 Oklahoma, FedEx BCS National Championship)

#4 – Trent Williams, OT, Washington (2009 Oklahoma, FedEx BCS National Championship)

#7 – Joe Haden, CB, Cleveland (2009 Florida, FedEx BCS National Championship)

#16 – Derrick Morgan, DE, Tennessee (2010 Georgia Tech, FedEx Orange Bowl)

#18 – Maurkice Pouncey, C, Pittsburgh (2009 Florida, FedEx BCS National Championship)

#21 – Jermaine Gresham, TE, Cincinnati  (2009 Oklahoma, FedEx BCS National Championship)

#22 – Demaryius Thomas, WR, Denver, (2010 Georgia Tech, FedEx Orange Bowl)

#23 – Brian Bulaga, OT, Green Bay (2010 Iowa, FedEx Orange Bowl)

#25 – Tim Tebow, QB, Denver (2009 Florida, FedEx BCS National Championship)

The 2011 Orange Bowl will be played January 3, 2011 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL. For ticket information for the Orange Bowl and all Orange Bowl Committee events, please contact 305-341-4702 or log on to www.orangebowl.org

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